1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for controlling the operation of electrical apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern hotels and motels customarily have environmental control apparatus therein, such as an air conditioner and/or a heater, which is adapted to maintain the room at a predetermined temperature. While the heating and air conditioning systems employed in such facilities customarily have automatic thermostats to ensure that the room is maintained at a desired comfort level, the operation of these systems when the room is not in use results in an undesirable waste of electrical energy.
Systems have been developed for controlling environmental apparatus in motels and hotels by the insertion of the occupant's room key into a simple, key operated thermostat adjacent the heating and air conditioning unit in the motel or hotel rooms. Apparatus of this type is manufactured by Fabri-Tek, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is identified by Model No. RMS-7.
Other systems have also been devised for the motel and hotel industry to control operation of restricted television channels, in order to permit the occupant to view a particular channel upon payment of the required fee, thus gaining access to a first run movie or some other desirable presentation on the restricted channel.
The prior art also suggests numerous arrangements for utilizing magnetic keying elements as a switch for energizing electrical appliances. Examples of such arrangements are disclosed in the following United States Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,953--W. Barney;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,769--H. Cooley;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,763--B. S. Sedley;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,571,544--Sheehan;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,178--M. Rifkin;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,278--D. Collins;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,746,745--R. H. Damon.